One of the most-common cooking elements in a QSR kitchen is easily cooking oil Used for frying, grilling, dressings and a few dozen other functions, oil is liquid gold for chefs.

Cooking oils makes food cook fast, taste good and even look good too. But working against the use of conventional cooking is the demands of consumers who want healthier options. It was just a few short years ago that the world started to make the shift away from partially-hydrogenated oils. Sure they could be stored for a long time. Their shelf life was great for the QSR industry, but the oil was a big source of trans fat which, according to dieticians and researchers, can lead to heart disease.

Finding Flavor While Using Canola, Soy and Nut Oils

To make the shift to healthier cooking oil, while still maintaining a focus on quality, flavor and price, QSR brands are using oils created from canola, soy beans and various other vegetables. They’re also looking to nut oils as well for cooking.

Of course, it’s not great to fry anything – at all. Ever. Or at least that’s what doctors and dieticians want you to know. This is because, as foods are cooked in oil, the oil gets absorbed into the food, upping the caloric count by about 120 calories per teaspoon absorbed.

Healthier Oils Mean Lower Calories. Usually.

Switching to a healthier oil can help mitigate this caloric “jump” and while it’s doing a good job so far, QSR operators can also look to their cooking techniques to satisfy the low-cal cravings coming from today’s youth who are demanding healthier food at any cost…including the cost of taste.

So while healthy oils are one option, there are also procedural changes that QSR brands can make to keep calories down. This may involve frying foods in oil at higher temperatures to make it cook faster and spend less time absorbing the oil. It could also mean pre-cooking some foods in a traditional over prior to frying. Both of these option will cut down on the calories but can also risk the flavor and quality of the food as well.

Cooking Oil Has Needs, Too.

It’s also important that operators who use any kind of oil ensure that it’s used in appropriate equipment that maintains appropriate oil temperature and filtering efficiency at all times.

So, as you can see, the switch to healthier oils is a great step, but only if it’s followed by an increased awareness about proper equipment and cooking technique. So if you’re one of those people who demands healthier oil, just remember that oil is just one part of the cooking process. Ask about cooking technique, how often the oil is filtered and what temperature the oil is maintained at.